Kendal Howard could feel Enter Sandman in his soul
One of Southwest Virginia's power programs is just up the road from Blacksburg. Daleville (Va.) Lord Botetourt 2024 defensive lineman Kendal Howard could be next to continue the pipeline from his school to Virginia Tech.
He took exactly that path on a recruiting visit for the Hokies' home-opening win against Boston College. Since it's a well-traveled one, the VT coaching staff knew exactly where to find him.
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The VT defensive and offensive line coaches and personnel staffer Lino Lupinetti all touched base with Howard to make sure he was excited to make his way to Lane Stadium.
"Coach [JC] Price, Coach [Joe] Rudolph, and Lino Lupinetti messaged me an invite to come to the game through Twitter," Howard said. "I always enjoy Lane Stadium and all the coaches and staff at VT, so I jumped on the offer.
"Also we have 3 players from Lord Botetourt [offensive linemen Jesse Hanson and Hunter Mclain and defensive lineman Gunner Givens] that are on the team right now so it definitely excited me a bit more to come."
Virginia Tech managed to take home a major win, and Howard kept his eye on the defensive line. One Hokie in particular caught his eye, and it was a pleasure watching him in person after plenty of time focusing on him while watching the local program on television.
"The team played very well; the bounceback [from the season-opening loss to Old Dominion] was great," he said. "They really capitalized themselves on defense, with a bunch of sacks and tackles for loss. I love what [Josh] Fuga does at his position: I've watched a ton of his gameplay."
The experience of seeing Virginia Tech in action is always exciting. A Lane Stadium night game, and the performance on the field are crucial aspects of any recruiting visit. For Howard, though, it was just as important to take in the aspects of Virginia Tech and the football program that happen away from the field, too.
That included the atmosphere around town - and of course in Lane - but also getting to know the coaches a little bit better.
"While in Blacksburg, I got to experience the great culture Coach [Brent] Pry and coaching staff are putting together in a game day environment," he said. "When I've taken visits previously, they were great - but you really get to see what it’s like on gameday. The atmosphere in Blacksburg is absolute chaos, I've never seen anything like it anywhere else, especially once Enter Sandman comes on it’s like you can feel it in your soul.
"I spoke to Coach Rudolph for a few minutes. He congratulated me on our big win against Riverheads High School the day before, and he always tells me to continue doing what I’m doing and keep progressing.
"The best part of the visit for me getting to be on sideline. I definitely try to collect as much knowledge as I can whenever I get the chance to, so to be able to talk to some players and see first-hand what the atmosphere is like at VT definitely made me more excited for the future, if that’s where I get the chance to play."
Collecting more scholarship opportunities is a major priority for Howard going forward. He picked up his first from Louisville this Summer, and is hoping to continue expanding the net.
He's off to a strong start in his junior season, helping lead Lord Botetourt High School to a 4-1 record. He also camped at Coastal Carolina, Louisville, and of course Virginia Tech in June. Continuing to put out strong film should only see his star rise.
So too should expanding his travels. He plans to be at a few more programs before the college season ends.
"I plan on attending a Liberty, Rutgers, and Coastal Carolina game this season," he said.
Virginia Tech has set a high bar - and he hopes that the Hokies ultimately give him the chance to join their program.
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